Fumes force village store to close

James Oxenham

A village store was forced to close due to an issue with ‘cleaning fumes’, it owners said.

The Co-op in Bolnore Village, Haywards Heath, closed suddenly this morning after safety concerns were raised over fumes given off from bakery equipment.

One member of staff was treated in hospital and another was seen by a doctor as a precaution, a spokesman for the retailer said.

Co-op said an oven had been cleaned the night before and when it was switched on in the morning the heat reacted with the solution.

Fumes were let off and the store was temporarily closed while investigations were carried out and the equipment was re-cleaned.

The spokesman said: “The health and safety of colleagues and customers is of our utmost priority and we temporarily closed our Bolnore Village store as a precaution – and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Two colleagues went to their GP as a precaution – one was referred to hospital and has since been released.”